Eight Blocks - Eight Different Facades and Orientations, Several Green Places, Water Collection and Recycling

Dutch architects MVRDV are the winner of the design competition for the new headquarters of the real estate developer Vanke Group in Shenzhen, China. Unofficially called ‘Vanke 3D city’ by MVRDV, it is the latest of architecture of the future. Built on two plots of land on either side of a road, the Vanke Group’s headquarters building will be a dynamic, mixed-use development, composed of eight blocks that bridge the road and connect to each other. The tallest tower counts 250 meters. The 167,000 square meter development will house office and retail space, parks, restaurants and a hotel.

The concept of the ‘three-dimensional city’ evolved from MVRDV’s Vertical Village project of 2009, which examined how cluster developments can contribute to sustainable social dynamics in dense urban environments.

Several Gardens And Green Roofs for Locale Recreation

Each block will be designed to correspond to one of Vanke’s core values: ‘health’, ‘energy’, ‘open’, ‘team’, ‘green’, ‘nature’, ‘future’, and ‘creative’. In addition to the large amount of green and open spaces that will be incorporated, the design includes systems for water collection and recycling.

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Four of the blocks will be indented either on one façade, or all the way through the block, creating ‘windows’ that will house atriums, parks and plazas. The roofs of each block will also feature green spaces to be used as recreational areas. With all of the gardens and halls connected by stairs and elevators, the linked blocks will create an entirely new kind of urban cohesion and continuity. The network of shaded, airy spaces will be open 24 hours a day, giving Shenzhen residents a welcome respite from the tropical climate and access to the commercial and restaurant levels at the base of the four corner blocks.

A sunken, multi-level green space at the base of Vanke City also forms part of the network, and in accordance with Shenzhen’s ‘sponge city’ program, it will help to facilitate water drainage to prevent flooding, thereby lessening the city’s effect on ecosystems.